Most of us believe that we have to have inborn talent to really get good at any given skill. And while we all have our strengths that allow us to excel quicker than others at specific tasks, we actually all have the potential to become talented at anything with a little focus, and consistent action. So today I’m going to share with you my top 5 strategies (in no particular order) of the 52 presented in The Little Book of Talent by Daniel Coyle.
Tip #1 Stare At Who You Want to Become
If there is a skill that interests you then watch people who are better at the skill than you are. It’s a great way to engrain details about the skill into your subconscious, it’s also a great way to stay motivated for practicing the skill and programming the desire to continue training into your subconscious mind which will make you less likely to skip practices. Imagine a hockey player who never watched hockey? Take some time everyday to watch or read about people performing the skill you want to learn.
Tip #15 Break Every Move Down Into Chunks
We sometimes don’t want to start something because we think its “too hard”. Or we get stuck at a plateau somewhere along our journey. This is normal and so the best way to manage this is to take whatever it is you are trying to learn and break it down into manageable parts. You can break down the parts even further if necessary. Practice one part at a time until you’ve mastered it, then move on to the next part and do the same. Once you feel confident in each part then string them together. You don’t jump right into performing a guitar solo if you’ve never played an instrument before. You start with single notes. You don’t write a novel if you can’t read, you start by learning the alphabet. No matter what you want to learn, or improve upon you can always progress by breaking complicated parts into chunks.
Tip #17 Embrace Struggle
A sure way to lose motivation and possibly the momentum to keep going is by letting struggle discourage you. All the greats have faced struggles and a lot of failure. The thing you have to understand is that struggle and “failure” are necessary parts of the process to greatness.
Tip # 18 Choose 5 Minutes a Day Over an Hour a Week
Small daily or at least several times a week practice is better than long sessions less often because it’s more in line with how our brains work. Shorter daily sessions better nourishes the brain’s process of strengthening the neural pathways for whatever it is you are trying to learn vs your brain once a week trying to figure out “where were we again?” and then being overloaded and fatigued by a session that is way too long. Nothing wrong with long sessions if you are having fun and enjoying it, but it does not replace daily intentional practice, even if they are shorter sessions.
Tip #40 Just Before Sleep Watch a Mental Movie
This is basically creative visualization. When you are in bed drifting off, imagine yourself performing your skill flawlessly. Turn it into a mental movie with as much detail as possible. This is another way to program your subconscious mind in favour of your goals. It also helps you to get the steps to whatever it is you want to learn down pat.
